Kudos For Larry Kudlow But We Cannot Rush To War With Russia

I was pleasantly surprised to see that President Trump has opted to make Larry Kudlow his top economic advisor.

I've listened to Kudlow over the years and seen some of him on television and he seems to me to be a very level headed guy.

He's isn't too swallowed up in hysteria or conspiratorial thinking or way out ideas.

But what appreciate about him most memorably is his performance as a CNBC host back in February of 2010 when Tiger Woods held a news conference to apologize for his behavior and described himself as an addict when it came to sex.

Larry's ability to use phrases like "One Day At A Time" to describe Tiger's future path, a phrase associated with recovery from addiction and intoxication was masterful.

The economic conditions in the world over the last decade have been very difficult to say the least, the worst since the 1930's and the challenges are enormous.

President Trump's move last week to impose tariffs reflects just how serious conditions are in the USA today and lets hope Larry Kudlow can bring some common sense into the room.

Regardless of the political propaganda, my sense is that the economy is lagging with wage stagnation.

My big corporation employer gave me a bonus and pay raise, but then turned around and cut my hours.

If you remember history, you will remember what came of those terrible economic conditions of the 1930's, a horrible war.

There was Great Britain under attack and increasing sympathy and support from the United States. Then finally the USA entering Wprld War II.

Then after it was all said and done the United States emerged economically supreme and Great Britain was diminished after expensive bills for two world wars over a 30 year period.

And where is the United States nowadays anyway some 20 trillion dollars in the hold with a national debt held by nations like China and Japan whose leaders got the special treatment from President Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year.

President Trump also traveled to Saudi Arabia doing the sword dance with its leaders and getting promises that Saudi dollars would be invested in America's infrastructure and America's defense industry through purchases of weapons.

Saudi Arabia has been financing Al Qaeda jihadists fighting in Syria against that country's government backed by Iran and Russia.

"the 'rebels' and 'activists' in the suburbs of Damascus are the people who blew up the Twin Towers. But Al Qaeda has now got some very good spin doctors, and they're trying to spin you..."

Part of that spin has been the notion of chemical weapons attacks on civilians in Syria. The propaganda rolled out last year was repeated verbatim by US UN Ambassador Nikki Haley leading to a US cruise missile attack against a Syrian airbase.

But is hard to convince people to care about something going on in a distant land but what about something in a country much closer like the United Kingdom.

We now have a similar narrative there from Prime Minister Theresa May and the direct blame being put on Russia's government with President Donald Trump backing her up.

And what comes next and who benefits from a conflict between the US, UK, EU etc. and Russia and who comes out holding the best economic position in the world after all that.

China's new ruler for life President Xi sees China on its way to being the greatest nation in the world in 30 years and if we keep going down that path we appear to be going with Russia Xi's vision could be realized ever sooner.

Its great to see Larry Kudlow in Washington but with all this other stuff on the table, his presence may be irrelevent in the face of the increasing likelihood of another costly war in the aftermath of 9/11.

But this time the USA will be allied with the jihadist perpetrators of that terrorist outrage fighting Russia in Syria.

Initial reports from an eye witness described Skripal as sitting on a park bench making strange hand gestures and looking up to the sky. His daughter was also sitting on the bench beside him leaned into him, possibly unconscious.

I have not seen sitting upright on a park bench making strange hand gestures looking up to the sky among the typical symptoms consistently associated with nerve gas poisoning in any of the literature I have read.

It's usually more like convulsions, involuntary loss of bowel and bladder, foaming at the mouth, lacrimation, lying on the ground struggling to breathe and actively dying a violent and horrible death, etc.

May is specifically accusing Russia of using Novichok which is reported to be up to 10x more potent than VX. I would think the accepted and consistent symptoms of nerve agent poisoning would be unmistakable if something that potent were used.

IMO, this sounds more like carfentanil which the Russians have been known to use from time time to time. It's a narcotic that is about 100x more potent than fentanyl which is itself about 80x more potent than heroin and there is concern about its use as a WMD due to the extremely small doses required to induce respiratory arrest. It is also able to absorb into the blood stream via the transdermal route afaik.

It seemed as if they had taken “something quite strong,” Freya Church told the BBC. “On the bench there was a couple, an older guy and a younger girl. She was sort of leaned in on him. It looked like she had passed out, maybe. He was doing some strange hand movements, looking up to the sky.”

Also interesting that washington post is now describing noth victims as being found "unconscious on a bench" despite the initial eyewitness accounts p[reviously referenced that suggest they were conscious.

March 4, 4:15 p.m. — Emergency services are called by a passer-by concerned about a man and a woman in Salisbury city center. Officers find the Skripals unconscious on a bench. They are taken to Salisbury District Hospital, where they remain in critical condition.

Well people react differently to being poisoned. Symptoms are only ever "typical". The two may still be alive but the description we are hearing here is "critical but stable", which might mean they are in a coma.

I'm not an expert on poisoning but the British government seems really sure on this. I suspect they have another intelligence source which they are not discussing - the guy was working for MI6 for quite a few years after all.

I’m not making light of anything. I think we’re being deceived by the British. I am very skeptical that Novichok was used. I think it’s far more consistent with carfentanil and the fact is, after a British spy got busted attempting to manage the outcome of our election, I don’t really care either way? What’s more, the British parliament insulted our president, our country, and our people. So if our President still wishes to maintain our “special relationship” with Britain, that’s his business but I’m not even going to pretend to trust them at this point.

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